Good News in History, December 2

On this day 68 years ago, “I, Robot” by the writer and biochemist Isaac Asimov was first published. A collection of science fiction short stories and essays woven together into a novel, I, Robot was the first time Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics appeared, making robots more engaging for the reader and revolutionizing the science fiction genre.

The book’s narration features a reporter in the 21st century hearing each of the stories from a fictional Dr. Susan Calvin, about the interaction of humans, robots, AI, and the morality of it. WATCH a fascinating 1975 interview with Asimov… (1950)

MORE Good News on this Date:

The U.S. Senate voted 65 to 22 to censure Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-WI) for “abusing” colleagues during his 4-year anti-Communist crusade (1954)

The first gorilla born in captivity arrived at Ohio’s Columbus zoo – Colo grew to become mother of 3 and grandmother of 16 more (1956)

United Arab Emirates gained independence from UK (1971)

University of Utah doctors implanted the first permanent human artificial heart – the Jarvik 7 – into Barney Clark, who lived with the heart for 112 days (1982)

Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, the first woman to head an Islam-dominated state (1988)

In Northern Ireland, a power-sharing cabinet of Protestants and Catholics convened for the first time (1999)

And, on this day in 1970, the US Environmental Protection Agency opened.

Created by President Nixon, the federal agency went on to ban DDT, phase out leaded gasoline, halt the use of cancer-causing PCBs, launch the Brownfields Program to clean up abandoned, contaminated sites so they can be a productive community asset, and, under George W. Bush, establish new regulations requiring truck diesel engines and fuel to be more than 90 percent cleaner.

Also on this day, in 1946, fashion designer Giovanni Versace was born in Italy to a dressmaker mother.

Known for his flashy prints and bright colors, Versace designed for many famous clients, including Elton John, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Cher, and Madonna. He chose Medusa as the brand’s logo–a design that was on the floor of Roman ruins where the Versace siblings played as children–because she made people fall in love with her with no way back, and he hoped his company would have the same effect on people. A book by his sister Donatella tells the colorful story of the Versace dynasty.